I found myself watching Clannad After Story again, and I couldn't help but find that the scenes that made me ball like a baby were the ones that I found were the most enjoyable of the series. I think it was because those scenes that made me cry were very touching.

The sadness touches your heart and makes you cry, while at the same time you enjoy the beauty of Key's works. There's a reason why Key is successful. It's like sweets (to girls)- it's enjoyable and you keep coming back for it, but it makes you sad how the kilos pile up. Though- most of the time those "sad" anime are the ones filled with the best humor moments...

Hmmm........
I Laugh when I see some get hurt in anime or when somethings sad....
Rarely I tear up.... Maybe when I was watching Shugo Chara when they found out the egg couldn't make wished it was that stupid Boys fault.. Anyway yea that's it.... Lol it is enjoyable though....

I guess I would have to say that I "enjoy" it. And by by "enjoy" I find it almost impossible to not finish an anime that is sad and effects me emoitionally. I'll keep watching to see if the characters get their happy ending or at least a slice of happiness. I am a sucker for happy endings and if I can't get one of those then I'll settle for a hopeful ending where the possibilty of happiness remains. If a sad anime ends in tradgedy or sadly I still will have enjoyed the ride and respect it stroywise as so much in life ends sadly/poorly its just that its easy to find tradgedy in real life so why also bombard oneself for "enjoyment".

I don't tend to rewatch tradgedies that end poorly a second time as without the hope of a happy ending I feel like I am just intentionally tempting depression. I have been through clinical depression in my teen years and really have no desire to put myself back into a state that might make me more prone to relapse. Its just not worth it and I prefer my enertainment to be hopeful, uplifting, or at the very least bittersweet. I'll add that less than a handful of anime series have actually affected my mood noticeably and never more than a couple days of the blues. If anime could actually make me clinically depressed on its own I'd never watch sad anime ever.

I think the best part about a show is whether they make you feel something. It could be anything, they could inspire you, make you feel hopeful, or just down right crush your heart. If a show or any piece of medium can achieve that, it has succeeded as an art medium. The fact that it evokes makes anything art.

I enjoy these sad animes because if it wasn't good I couldn't have felt sad at all. If I felt any sort of emotion, be it a single tear or bawling for hours on end, that show was good, to me. It isn't worth watching something that makes you go "meh." At the end of any show you should go "NO!!! Not him, he can't die!" "Oh God, why? Why do that to them, they didn't deserve that!" "It's so beautiful how they stuck together after all that!" "Now I want to become something like him!" *sniffles* "Is so sad!" A show worth watching is a show worth the emotions. And a sad anime that makes me feel depressed, sad, or down right suicidal is worth watching and should be watched, just because of the fact that it made me feel something.

I found myself watching Clannad After Story again, and I couldn't help but find that the scenes that made me ball like a baby were the ones that I found were the most enjoyable of the series. I think it was because those scenes that made me cry were very touching.

What our your opinions on why sad anime is enjoyable or not?

Yessss that's why I love anime so much! Especially Key anime and 'slice of life'. Mix in comedy and sadness and I'm there.

It is, if I cry it's usually because something was either so touching and beautiful, or I got so attached to the characters/hooked to the story, that something that happened just hit me. And allot of the time I will look back and almost miss that moment of being hit by the story so hard. Clannad is a perfect example of that, another would be the "Little Busters!" VN, Ano Hana as well. And let's not forget Rainbow, I didn't cry but damn did I come close, that anime delivered the biggest variety of emotions an anime ever has for me.